For generation after generation, in the cities and the bush,
Australian children have yearned to wear the baggy green. To be the
next Trumper of Bradman, Lillee or Marsh. To make it, they knew they’d
have to work hard, be tough and be a little lucky, too. But to a boy
they reckoned it was worth it. To play cricket for Australia is as good
as it gets…. In January 2000, at a gala function in Sydney, the elite
of Australian cricket gathered to hear the announcement of the ‘Team
of the Century’. The batting, inevitably, was led by
Bradman…Ponsford…..Greg Chappell. The bowlers included
Lillee…Lindwall…Warne…Miller…. The wicketkeeper was Ian Healy. His
story is that of a larrikin kid, born in the city of Brisbane but
raised in the Queensland country, who lived out his cricket dream and
became the greatest Australian Keeper of them all. His original
selection in the Australian XI, back in 1988, after only six
first-class matches as a fill-in brought a ‘Ian Who?’ response from
cricket fans across the country. However, in the seasons that followed,
Ian Healy established a new standard for wicketkeeping excellence and
built a reputation as a tough, unflinching winner.